Advertisement
Published: January 9th 2016
Edit Blog Post
Today is the last day of the year!! I still can't believe I'm spending it here in Costa Rica haha. My host parents were off from work today because it's the holidays so I didn't have to go to their
soda to grab breakfast. Instead, I woke up to some yummy
gallo pinto, huevos, and pan with cafe con leche on the side at home. After eating, I went to class (sucks that I have class on New Year's Eve lol that's a first).
During class, my professor told us about our weekend field trip to CurĂº. So exciting! 😊 We'll be visiting different ecosystems and habitats. Afterwards, we watched a documentary called
The Cove. It was about the slaughtering of dolphins in Japan. And about how the performer on the world's first ever dolphin TV show is so regretful for introducing dolphin performance into the entertainment industry. The show was very successful until his dolphin looked him into the eyes and committed suicide by holding its breath. So, so heartbreaking. Ever since then, he devotes his life to stopping what he started. He tries his best to release captured dolphins, even if it means prison. He is an activist
that is continuously striving to ban the slaughter of dolphins in Japan. The whole documentary was so sad. I kept tearing, especially when I saw the fishermen in Japan just plunge their swords into the innocent mammals. You can hear their cries and see the whole stream turning red. You can also see those who are still alive struggling to escape.
I understand it is a cultural norm in Japan but change definitely needs to be implemented through compromise and communication. Hopefully, one day the Japanese government and/or public can realize what they're doing is inhumane and has a great negative impact on our ecosystem.
Lol, what an emotional way to end the year (school-wise) but the day got better. After class, we went to watch the sunset on the beach. It was breathtaking as usual. That will always be one of my all-time-favorite views that I won't get sick of.
We had to get home early to celebrate New Year's Eve with our family. It's a big deal in Costa Rica to celebrate NYE with your whole family. Many friends, family, and relatives came over for the night. I met my host parents' other two children.
The oldest one was their daughter who already has a grandson, which makes my host parents great-grandparents already! Wow. The second oldest one was their son and he also has a kid too. He spoke some English which was cool. He was shocked when we met and asked if I knew Spanish. Most likely cause I was Asian LOL but that's alright.
Throughout the day, the whole family was just sitting and chilling, enjoying each other's company. It was great to see how they celebrate here. For dinner, we had a very light meal because in Costa Rican culture, you feast throughout the night as you count down to midnight. When evening came, we set up the TV and computer for karaoke. It was awesome. The music was super loud and the great-grandson and other kids were adorable, singing their hearts out to the song "Picky" by Joey Montana. Kaitlyn and I sitting outside along with the other family members and neighbors and just enjoying all the love and vibes.
Throughout the night, my parents' son, grand-daughter, and others kept singing. It was great! LOL. Everyone was so happy and just singing or dancing along. Her son offered
me rum and coke mixed together. My gosh, where has this drink been all my life? cause it was bomb. Then, my host mom served us different appetizers in small cups. First was boiled pinto beans with stewed meat, which was very flavorful. Next was a vegetarian ceviche, which was a little too sour and acidic for my liking. But hey, gotta try everything at least once right? Finally, we got the main (and huge) meal: duck meat, salad, and rice.
While eating, it struck midnight. Kaitlyn and I were just either on our phones or eating. Until we realized everyone started getting up to hug and kiss each other wishing a 'happy new year.' Regardless if you were close with the person or not, regardless if you even knew them or not, they would come up to hug and kiss you on the cheek. We caught on pretty fast and soon enough we were all just exchanging the love. It was beautiful. They are a very affectionate culture and I love it. Even the little kids and teens came up to hug us.
After the exciting exchanges, the music got turned up louder and everyone was either
singing, dancing or chatting away. Kaitlyn and I danced with our family and neighbors to Spanish music. It was such a heart-warming feeling. We took pictures with our host family afterwards. Then, throughout the night my host parents danced together; it was so cute.
Kaitlyn went out with the USAC friends to the bar to celebrate New Year's. I really wanted to too but I was super exhausted and it was already 1:30AM and I had to be up by 5AM for ziplining tomorrow so I declined. The party at our house was still going on so I eventually wished them all goodnight and went to bed.
It was a great New Year's Eve. I felt so happy being part of this special celebration and counting down the year's end with them. It was definitely an unforgettable day that I will cherish for a long, long time. Pura Vida 2016!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.142s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 8; qc: 49; dbt: 0.0621s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb